Social Entrepreneurship and Learning: The Case of the Central America Learning Alliance

Abstract

This paper sets out to analyze social entrepreneurship in the Central America Learning Alliance, in the context of recent literature on entrepreneurship and learning. Drawing on a recent and rapidly growing literature that describes entrepreneurship as a process that is inherently dynamic and experimental, with learning as a core component, we focus on social entrepreneurship in development as a catalyst of social transformation. A case study of a multi-stakeholder network focused on promoting processes of rural enterprise development, known as the Central America Learning Alliance, is used to illustrate social entrepreneurship in the context of the framework for innovation and learning that is developed in the first part of the paper. We conclude that the key concepts underlying entrepreneurial learning have important implications for social entrepreneurship in the context of building dynamic livelihoods for the poor of Central America.

Social Entrepreneurship and Social Movement Learning: A Reflective Account of the History of the TPSS Food Cooperative

“…While we had desire to learn and grow coming out of the social/community action 70’s period, today’s millennials who do not have the background we had could benefit from HRD/OD’s involvement to assist them in ensuring that this somewhat complex process happens as part of the growth of the business. For example, HRD/OD could advocate and facilitate learning through learning episodes, critical learning events, and “participatory workshops” (Faminow et al, 2009, p. 441).…”

“…SE has been defined as "[a group of people coming together] to develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues" (Dees, 1998(Dees, [2001, p.8). Faminow, Carter, and Lundy (2009) take the definition of SE a step further and characterize it as "the catalysis of social transformation in adverse environments, where proactive innovation leads to transformations beyond the scope of the social problems that were the initial focus of concern" (p. 436). Montgomery, Dacin, and Dacin (2012) posit that SE is collaborative and collective, "drawing on a broad array of support, cooperation and alliances to build awareness, gain resources, and ultimately, make change" (p. 376).…”

“…So one can view SE as a social movement in the workplace. And as in any social movement, learning is a critical part of being able to achieve the purpose of the organization, in terms of both the process and the content of the movement (Faminow et al, 2009). "Social movements are sites of learning, knowledge construction, meaning making, and resistance" (Hill, 2008).…”

“…"Social movements are sites of learning, knowledge construction, meaning making, and resistance" (Hill, 2008). Faminow et al (2009) contend that learning is integral to and occurs throughout the process of SE and further argue that the success of a social innovation depends on the ability to learn. McGregor (2014) posits that "what distinguishes a movement from, say, anomic protest or a mere coalition, is the process of 'collective learning'" (p. 220).…”

Stakeholder theory in social entrepreneurship: a descriptive case study

“…A literature search of peer-reviewed articles encompassing stakeholders, social entrepreneurship and case study methodology using ProQuest's search of academic databases resulted in peer-reviewed articles by Faminow et al (2009), Kumar (2013, Spitzeck et al (2013) and Thompson (2012). None of these articles combined stakeholder attributes of salience with social issue management valences.…”